Gospel

Now again, we welcome you. So good to see each one of you. Nice to hear your voices blending in the singing too.

And you can tell that we're singing about a God who is far greater than any of us imagine. I want to read about that God tonight and remind you that tomorrow night begins a series of special gospel meetings here in the hall. Each night, I believe it's 7 o'clock.

And you are welcome to come back and join us then. First of all, I want to read in the book of Psalms, the book of Psalms, but the middle of your Bible, and Psalm 53. Psalm 53.

Psalm 53. And we're going to read verse 2. Psalm 53 and verse 2. God looked down from heaven. You know, if you were to get a hold of that tonight, just even that, it would make an impact on you for time and all eternity.

God looked down from heaven. Notice what it says. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men.

That's you and me. To see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. I want you to notice five words in verse 2. God looked down from heaven.

A heavenly look. God's looking down. God looked down from heaven.

He's looking down to see. There isn't anything that's covered, anything that's hidden. He sees it all.

He knows it all. In fact, God is the only one who's perfectly up to date with the things that are taking place in our world. And God is the only one who is perfectly up to date with what is taking place in your life, in your home, in your circumstances.

God is looking down from heaven. I want to turn over to the New Testament, if you can, to the book of John's gospel, the gospel of John, chapter 3. And we're going to read there at verse 7. John chapter 3 and verse 7. Marvel not. These are the words of Jesus.

He says, don't be surprised. Don't be surprised at what he knows. Don't be surprised at what he says.

He says, don't be surprised that I said unto thee, you must be born again. Five words. You must be born again.

Five words about a heavenly life, a life that only God can give, a life that only heaven can impart, a life that you need if you're ever going to be in God's heaven. Five words. You must be born again.

Jesus said it. It is true. You must, must, got to be born again.

One more, please. Book of Romans, chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. We read five words about a heavenly look. God looked down from heaven.

We read five words about a heavenly life. You must be born again. And we're going to read five words about a heavenly love in Romans chapter 5 and verse number 6. Romans chapter 5, verse number 6. For when we were yet without strength, when we couldn't do a thing, we couldn't do anything to save ourselves, couldn't do anything to make ourselves right before God, couldn't do anything to escape from judgment, when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Five words about a heavenly love. Christ died for the ungodly. Oh, the wonder of it.

And how much God can convey with just simple messages from his word. Five simple words, something we can all take home with us, something we can all contemplate and consider, something we can carry about in our mind and thought and hopefully deeply rest within our soul. Five words from God.

God looked down from heaven. He's looking down right now. He's not just giving a glance at everybody.

But actually, this verse tells me that God is looking intently. God is looking specifically. God is looking searchingly.

God is looking to see if we understand. He's not just looking to see if we've heard the message that God looked down from heaven, but he wants to know if we understand it, if we can grasp it, if we understand and consider the truth of it, that God is looking down from heaven. On Mount Palomar, there's a huge array of telescopes.

Some of the lenses on those things are enormous and they can pick out the minutest, the littlest things. They say that there is one telescope there and if it was turned so that it went across the United States and across the Atlantic Ocean and somebody over there in Portugal or Spain was holding a dime up in their hand, you could read the writing on it. It's that powerful.

It's that good. But you know, there are things that could stop us from seeing it. Even with a tremendous telescope like that, even with such power and magnification.

You see, if the weather was cloudy or it was raining or someone stood in front of it, all of that would obscure our look, our discovery. But when God looks down from heaven, nothing hinders him from seeing. Nothing covers the sinner from his sight.

No one can hide from him. No one can escape from his look. You know, in the Bible, we learn tremendous truths and God wants us to understand those truths for us One of the truths that I read in my Bible is that God is love.

I had trouble with that. When I was just a boy, my family broke up. It hurt me.

And that was the first verse I was ever given to learn. God is love. And I couldn't understand how God could be a God of love and allow in my life what he allowed.

That with my family, in my home, that we'd be affected like that. And I thought maybe God had something against me. I didn't understand that God loved me, but he did.

And he does. And that God who loves, he looks on you with love as well. But you know, when you look in your Bible, you will find out not only is God a God of love, but God is light.

And in him, there is no darkness whatsoever. He cannot behold sin without doing something about it. He must act when he sees it.

And he must deal with us according to his own righteous character. God is light. But you know, the Bible tells us that God is long suffering.

That means he's very patient with us. I'm glad he is. I tried his patience.

And I tried the patience of the preachers who preached to me. And you know, they were convinced I was the least likely person to get saved. I'm glad God fooled them because I got it.

And ah, he wants you to be saved. And he's long suffering towards you. Don't try his patience, my friend, but rather understand he's been patient with you till now.

And now it's time for you to turn to him in honesty. God is long suffering, but don't ever forget this. God is looking.

God is looking. The darkest darkness cannot hide you from him. The greatest shield you might throw up or excuse you might present will not keep him from seeing.

God is looking down. I was at the dentist last week. I always get nervous when I go to the dentist.

I'm not afraid of the drill. That doesn't bother me. You know what bothers me? That little mirror.

They stick it in my mouth. I get really nervous when they do that because I know they're looking for money. And they usually find trouble.

And as God looks down from heaven, he sees. He sees everything. He sees what's covered.

He sees what takes place behind closed doors. He sees what's done in the darkness. He sees what's done that may be hidden from others.

God is looking down from heaven. And he sees you tonight. You know, this verse tells me as it continues that God is looking for something specific.

He sees you, yes. He understands you like no one else does. He recognizes your need and he sees your sin and he understands your danger.

And there's no question about that great reality. But God is looking, it tells us in these verses, to see. If you understand that you're in danger, that you need to be saved, that you need to be saved, that he loves you so much that he gave his son to pay the awful price so that you could be saved and in heaven for all eternity.

And God is looking down and he's searching your heart to see if you understand. You say, how will he know? He'll know because you will seek God. You will earnestly go after him.

You won't let anything stop you. You won't let any differences between others come between. But rather you will seek him and you will seek his salvation and you will seek his cleansing and you'll seek his forgiveness.

You'll long for his pardon. You'll long for his escape, his way of salvation. Yes, God, your very own God is looking down from heaven to see if you understand a heavenly look.

He's looking right now. He's searching your heart. He's searching your soul.

He's looking to see if you understand. But we read in John's gospel of a heavenly life. You know, there's more to life than just this life.

There's a life that fits us for heaven. And the Lord Jesus uses those words in John's gospel chapter three and verse seven. You must be born again.

You need a life only God can. When I was born into this world, I got life. And I like life.

I'm kind of attached to it. And I like the things that this life allows me to do and experience. And the things that lets me enjoy, I like life.

But if I'm gonna be in heaven, I need a life only God can give. That's why the Lord Jesus said, don't be surprised when I tell you, you must be born again. You got to be born again.

There's no other choice or way, you must. You need a life from God if you're ever gonna be in heaven. I remember having a children's meeting in the north part of Toronto in Unionville.

And there was a boy who'd come out the first night. And it happened that my verse was, you must be born again. And I taught a lesson about it.

And that boy went home. Now his mom had intended to come with him, but his mom had been hindered from coming. And when that boy came home, that mom asked a good question.

She said, what did you learn tonight? And he said, mom, he says, that man told us that you've got to be born again or you'll never be in heaven. Now he didn't get the words right, but he had the right idea. He said, that man said, you gotta be born again or you'll never be in heaven.

She said, where did he get that idea? And the next night she was determined to come and find out. She wanted to see if he really got the right message. And so she came and she was standing right at the door when I walked in and I was late.

I had driven down from where I live in Midland, Ontario, down to the city of Toronto and I was just pushing it. So while she was standing at the door waiting for me, ready to ask me, I just said hi and walked by. And I went on to teach my lesson.

And when it was done, she was back at the door again. And she was waiting for me. And she wasn't gonna let me get away this time.

And she stood there at the door and she said to me, you know, I kind of enjoyed that. But she said, my son came home last night. And he told me that what you taught them last night was that you've got to be born again or you'll never be in heaven.

I said, yeah, that's exactly what I taught him. I'm glad he got, she said, where'd you get that idea? And I just happened to have my Bible right in my hand. And it just about fell open to the same place where I had been teaching the lesson from.

And I put my finger under, you must be born again. I'll never forget that lady. She looked at it and she looked at me.

And she said, I never knew that before. Now I heard some of you already when I first read it, completing my verse. So you know it already.

It isn't enough to know it. You need to be born again. Some of these guys could quote that verse and others that have to do with the new birth, with being born again.

And they could speak clear and plain and simply. But if they've never been born again, they'll never be in heaven. Have you been born again? You need this life that only God can give.

You need this savior to give you what you can't earn for yourself. The Lord Jesus spoke these words to a very, very religious man. Why, we were hearing in the Sunday school today how he knew by heart the first five books of the Bible, not verses, but books of the Bible.

And he could quote them all. And many other verses of the prophets, I'm sure. And the Lord Jesus said to him, you must be born again.

He didn't say you need more religion. He didn't say you need to be baptized. He didn't say you need to join a different church.

He said, you've got to be born again. You need a life that only God can give you. And that life fits you for heaven.

You see, that life that I got when I was born, they actually showed me one of the little cards that they sent out. Apparently, I was cute. And it had how much I weighed.

Never weighed that since. And what color my eyes were. And I think they changed too.

But you know, it described me for this life. But my mother didn't give me eternal life. My mother didn't give me everlasting life.

When this life is done, it's done for me on earth. But I want to tell you, that's not the end of Gary Sharp. I'm going to be in heaven because I have been born of God, born again.

I have everlasting life. And the Savior says, you must be born again. But we read five words about a heavenly love.

My, what a blessed message this is. How contrary to most of the thinking of people. And yet they're familiar with the truth.

You know, most people think you need to be in a certain religion. Or you need to do a certain number of things so that you can get some credit with God. I remember dropping in on a couple of lads.

They were teenagers and we were having meetings in a place called Deer Lake in Ontario. And right next door were these boys. And we knocked on their door and they came to the door.

And we told them why we were there. That we were inviting them along to gospel meetings like this. And they said, well, we don't know very much about religion.

I said, can you tell me, can you tell me why Christ died? First one looked at me and says, Christ died for us. The second one, he looked at me and he said, Christ died for our sins. I said, did you know that what you just did was quote the Bible to me? They looked so shocked.

See, they knew truth. They didn't realize or recognize what its source was. Its source was the Bible.

Its source was God's word. And so many people know that Christ died and they know how he died and they could describe all of that, especially at Easter season. And they don't understand that the reason for the death of the Lord Jesus, it was on our behalf.

It was so he would pay for our sins. It was so he would die for those who are so unlike him as is described here, the ungodly, not like God. Why aren't we like God? Because we've sinned.

God can't sin. We have lied. God never lies.

We have broken promises. God never breaks his promises. We have deceived.

God will never fool you. And here's the wonderful truth of the gospel that even when we're helpless, even though we cannot do anything to make ourselves right before God, Jesus did it. He went to the cross.

He suffered for the sinner. He paid the price. He endured the wrath of God.

He suffered for our sins. He died for the ungodly. And you know what? That just means he died for me.

Five words. But those five words are enough to take you to heaven. Just five words.

But they're five words of truth from God that you can rest on, that you can rely on, that you can rejoice in and be thrilled about. He died for me. I remember a girl coming along to gospel meetings and she wanted to be saved.

Her name was Connie. And night after night, she talked to us about salvation. She had been in a Sunday school.

She'd heard a lot, but she couldn't seem to get a hold of it. And I remember the night she was sitting over on that side in a group of three chairs on the side of the hall and I was speaking and I saw the moment. She took it in.

My wife was sitting in the row behind her and she saw the moment. She finally got a hold of it. And the moment the meeting ended, she stood up and when the last notes of the hymn were just fading, she said, he did it for me.

He did it for me. Oh, the wonder of God's love towards you. Christ died.

And he died for a reason. And he died for the ungodly. And tonight you could take in those five words and be saved, ready for heaven and rejoice in God's salvation.